Surname Mowll - Meaning and Origin
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Mowll: What does the surname Mowll mean?
Mowll is of Anglo-Saxon origin, describing someone who lived at "Moll's land." It combines the old personal name "Moll" (a diminutive of Mary) and the Old English term "land." The name could refer to a spot owned or occupied by an individual named Moll. Names like Mowll were initially established by local inhabitants of the British Isles; they identified each other by referring to one another via various distinguishing features, such as physical traits, peculiarities, and territorial claims.
Surname meanings should be regarded with caution since their origins are often multi-faceted and have evolved throughout centuries. The surname Mowll may have different derivations for different families, and it might have been altered in pronunciation or spelling over time.
As with any surname, it’s worth noting that its meaning doesn't bear insight into the individual bearing the name today, as they have been assigned through passage down familial lines.
Order DNA origin analysisMowll: Where does the name Mowll come from?
The last name MOWLL is most prominently associated with English ancestry, and can be found today in England, Australia, and the United States. It is a unique variation of the more common surnames Moll or Moule. In England the surname is most often found in the Southwest region, particularly in Devon and Cornwall.
In the United States, the surname can be found primarily in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Historical records indicate that the MOWLL family immigrated to Bucks County, Pennsylvania in the late 1700s. The majority of families with the MOWLL surname in the United States today likely descend from this immigrant family.
In Australia, the surname MOWLL can be found in New South Wales, particularly in the greater Sydney area. The families with this surname there are likely descended from English settlers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as many British immigrants relocated to Australia during this period.
The MOWLL surname is also associated with a few other countries including Ireland, Canada, and South Africa. In all countries, the MOWLL family is a small but distinctive group, descendent from a common British ancestor.
Variations of the surname Mowll
The surnames MOWLL, MOULL, MOULE and MOLE all share a common origin. These spellings were often used interchangeably and sometimes evolved over time.
The original surname MOWLL was derived from the Middle English word mowle, which referred to a type of happy music. It was used as an occupational surname to describe someone who created or played cheerful tunes, and appearing as early as 1273 in the Liber Feodorum (Book of Fees, also known as the Inquisitions Post Mortem).
Variations of the MOWLL surname emerged as variations in spelling became popular over the next centuries. MOULL and MOULE are the most common spellings of the original name, while some families used MOLE as an alternate spelling. This variant may have derived from variant spellings as it appears as early as 1454 in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, England.
By the 19th century, the MOWLL surname had become widespread across England, Ireland and Scotland. Today, MOWLL and its variants are still quite common with many families still bearing the original spelling. The surname is also found in many other countries and is spelled differently in some places, such as MOAL in Francophone regions and MÓLE or MØLL in Scandinavian countries.
The MOWLL surname family is an international one, and its many variants can be found in archives and databases around the world, testifying to the lasting global impact that the small music-making families of medieval England had on subsequent generations.
Famous people with the name Mowll
- Graham Mowll: Held the position of Program Director for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
- C. Malachi Mowll: Anglican priest, the author of several books, and president of the Society of Clerks Secular of Religious Houses
- Stockton Mowll: American Olympic fencer who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics
- Rachel Mowll: British Paralympic sailor who competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics
- F. Montagu Mowll: British cricketer
- Charles Mowll: British Army officer who saw action in the Second Boer War, First World War and short-lived Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War
- Arthur Mowll: 1850s New Zealand pastoralist, farmer, politician, auctioneer
- William Mowll: active in the California Gold Rush
- Edmund Mowll: 19th-century British lawyer and Member of Parliament, as well as a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford
- Kenneth Mowll: British scientist, noted for his research on heart diseases, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of London